Hey! is anyone else going to the Oregon Signing? I would love to meet another Sharder.

Favorite Quotes from Books:

Spoiler

My guess is that having a confidant gave her peace. She knew I would never repeat anything she said because I was obligated not to. Also, I’m pretty sure she got the impression that I’m not big on talking in general. I let my actions speak for me and, since I’m not good at interpretive dance, her secrets were safe with me.

First question is about a joke - writing a book with Rothfuss with competing teams of characters, giving it to GRRM for the ending - sounds like it probably won’t happen but both Sanderson and Rothfuss have apparently joked about it.

Second - most difficult character interaction he’s ever written - Mat and someone else from WoT, didn’t catch it because it’s a bit noisy but apparently they’re both liars.

Third - when is the fifth Alcatraz book? Whole series will be re-released next year, last book will probably come out with it. new versions will have artwork!

Fourth - Outside of books, what influences his writing? 1. People he knows (Sarene is based on a friend, etc; also includes character conflicts) 2. Cinema, especially when it does something poorly and he wants to do it better 3. video games may be an influence, unsure.

Sixth - when he comes up with a new magic system, what’s the first basic thing he works on? References Sanderson’s First Law; magic limitations come first.

Seventh - By the end of the Stormlight Archive will you look into the minds of everyone who will develop powers? no. Lists flashback characters; the next three are, in order: Szeth, Eshonai, and Dalinar.

Ninth - target audience - “honestly I want everyone to read my books”; WoK/SA is targeted at epic fantasy lovers, Mistborn is more approachable for heist novels, Alcatraz books are written at himself at age 13 (kid too clever for their own good but convinced that books are boring).

Tenth - third son born during WoR, did that affect the writing process? Yes, can now pick out when children are written poorly in books. family keeps him grounded; writing is about our world, not the fantasy world, and family reminds him of that.

Eleventh - Who’s your favorite Firefly character? WASH.

Twelfth - is it challenging to write from the POV of a female character and why/why not. Early on - yes it was, now less so. problem was: treated characters other than the main character as roles only, centered around main character. ”writing characters without giving them their due”. ”You have to be able to write the other. Every character has to be a piece of you and a piece of not you.” discusses Jasnah in particular. Point of literature is “to see what it’s like to be people who aren’t us”.

Thirteenth - Do the Windrunners have any Surges that Szeth doesn’t have? RAFO because it’s explained in WoR.

Fourteenth - Have you ever considered writing a horror novel or dark fantasy? Yes, played with it, wrote a short story for a Charlene Harris anthology coming out this year and a book called ‘Death by Pizza’ about a necromancer running a pizza shop. Is glad dark fantasy exists, but ‘fantasy is the language of imagination and the language of hope’ (quoting Robert Jordan) and will write about mostly people he would like to be/admires.

Fifteenth - Is there something that inspires the strength of his female characters? His mother graduated first in her class in accounting in a year when she was the only woman in the accounting department. First three fantasy writers he read were female (Melanie Rawn, Anne McCaffrey, and one other I missed) to the point where when someone tried to give him Eddings he said he didn’t think men could write the genre.

Sixteenth - there’s a rumor about a second Elantris book. Yes, that’s coming someday, but Stormlight is the priority. Current schedule: Firefight is done, Rithmatist 2 is next, Stormlight 3 after that (working title might still be Stones Unhallowed if he can get it out before Rothfuss finishes Doors of Stone)

Seventeenth - how many series in the Cosmere? 36 novels, don’t tell some people because they’ll get scared. (Mistborn is 9, Stormlight is 10, Dragonsteel is the prequel and those are the core; everything else will be a trilogy or one-off and some might be novellas.)

Eighteenth - Is his wife here? no; she’s home with the kids because touring is kind of miserable.

Nineteenth - this was some kind of follow-up, got a good laugh but I didn’t catch it.

OH NVM question was who would finish the Cosmere if he couldn’t; answer was ‘maybe Brent Weeks’

Twentieth - are there any characters you dislike writing about and would like to kill off? Joking answer: Cadsuane from WoT, someone else from WoT - Masema.

Twenty-first - any future children’s books? Yes, really enjoys it. Nothing until after Steelheart/Rithmatist/Alcatraz, but wants to write about a world where wireless energy happens naturally and everything is electified (THIS SOUNDS SO COOL). that’ll be the next kids’ book, but it’ll take a bit to get the science right. Also discusses plot from POV of the ‘Dark One’ who is fated to be killed by the Chosen Hero - this might be the plot for the electrified planet but maybe not, as it’s definitely Cosmere.

During the announcements he’s talking about local indie bookstores and their importance, and how enthusiastic they are and how they retain employees; encourages people to buy here (Powell’s is indie) instead of ordering online. The creator of the Mistborn RPG is here and signing those too!

They also stayed late and did a Q&A session with Brandon (who was actually waiting for them!) but they have not posted it yet. I will share it when they do!

Whoa, this is awesome. So we get an Eshonai book, Dalinar's will be the last in the first half, and I suppose that means Renarin will survive into the second half. Huh.

I thought his comment on being able to pick out when a child is wrote badly was cute, and that electric world does sound really cool. One thing about Cosmere; he does make up some amazing magic systems although I think Legion would have made a decent Cosmere book, maybe in the vein of Silence Divine's magic system.

Second - most difficult character interaction he’s ever written - Mat and someone else from WoT, didn’t catch it because it’s a bit noisy but apparently they’re both liars.

This is probably Mat and Verin. I can see why it would be hard to write. Mat had to walk away from the conversation agreeing to a bargain with pretty weird terms. Getting a conversation to end in that, and still be in-character for both of them, would be hard. Especially because Verin is magically bound by multiple oaths that limit what she can say and agree to.

A reminder that it's not necessary for a flashback character (Kaladin in TWoK, Shallan in WoR) to be alive during his or her book. We've been told that Kaladin will likely get a second book (i.e. there will be another book with flashback chapters from his point of view), but that doesn't guarantee that he will be alive in said book.

"Is it terribly difficult for you? Living with the rest of us, suffering our average wits and simple thoughts? Is it lonely to be so singular in your brilliance?"

A reminder that it's not necessary for a flashback character (Kaladin in TWoK, Shallan in WoR) to be alive during his or her book. We've been told that Kaladin will likely get a second book (i.e. there will be another book with flashback chapters from his point of view), but that doesn't guarantee that he will be alive in said book.

Actually I'm pretty sure he has said that Kaladin will not get another book?

A reminder that it's not necessary for a flashback character (Kaladin in TWoK, Shallan in WoR) to be alive during his or her book. We've been told that Kaladin will likely get a second book (i.e. there will be another book with flashback chapters from his point of view), but that doesn't guarantee that he will be alive in said book.

True. I just don't see the relevance of having a flashback character be a character that died in the previous half. If it was during 3, 4, or 5, then I could understand it. Just me.